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Dudley and Durham social services departments' prospects for improvement are promising, according to joint review inspections, writes Amy Taylor.

Dudley's joint review praised its innovative work with some client groups including older people, giving them support to live at home, and foster carers. It also said that Dudley had a stable team of staff, with a strong track record of tackling areas of concern.

Areas for improvement included the need for some services to be modernised, such as day and residential care, and concerns were raised that some children looked after by the authority and some on the child protection register do not have an allocated social worker.

In Durham, the review noted that the department has achieved national recognition for the quality of its services, but said that it now needs to work on providing them in partnership with other organisations. In support of this, the review found that 82 per cent of users and carers rated their satisfaction with services as excellent or good.

It also found that most services have got better over the last two years, but that some people are still having to wait too long for an assessment and are not receiving services that help them to be independent. In particular, it said that further service developments are required in providing care for older people who need intensive support in their own homes or alternatives to traditional residential care.